Tag: NCCN

The Delta State Commissioner for Economic Planning, Dr. Kingsley Emu, says the National Competitiveness Council of Nigeria has rated his state the second after Lagos State in terms of national competitiveness.

The NCCN, in partnership with Ford Foundation and Tony Elumelu Foundation, recently released the Sub-National Index Overall State Ranking for 2017 which saw Delta occupy the second slot on the table after Lagos State.

The commissioner said Delta won the prize because it performed excellently in the four critical parameters used by the independent body to arrive at its final decision.

Emu, who was accompanied by the state’s Commissioner for Information, Mr. Patrick Ukah, disclosed that a total contract sum of N170.4bn had so far been awarded by the state government on the construction of 149 roads of 764.39 kilometres and 225.59 kilometres of drainages.

The duo spoke at a news conference in Asaba on Tuesday, a statement by the state government said on Thursday.

Delta State won the second position behind Lagos State among the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.

The commissioner stated that N37.6bn was spent on 49 roads of 252.12 kilometres and 55.31 kilometres of drainages in Delta Central; N51.4bn for 65 roads of 325.43 kilometres and 126.02 kilometres of drainages in Delta North; and N81.3bn for 35 roads totaling 186.84 kilometres and 44.26 kilometres of drainages in Delta South.

Emu specifically said that a total of 67.58 kilometres of roads and 34.43 kilometres of drainages were currently ongoing in the riverine areas of the state with a view to linking the dwellers there with people living upland for both economic and social integration.

Ukah, in his contribution, attributed all the lofty achievements of the state administration to the prudent management of available resources by the governor.

He said that the ranking did not come to him as a surprise as the governor was determined to take the state to greater heights.

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Punch Games

The World Bank and the National Competitiveness Council of Nigeria have developed the Sub-national Competitive Index on making states in the country economically stable and without dependence on federal allocations.

The Ford Foundation and Tony Elumelu Foundation were also involved in the development of the report, which will be unveiled in Lagos today (Thursday).

The Chief Executive Officer, NCCN, Chika Mordi, said the report was the product of a 20-month survey on how the states could be economically viable.

He stated that the survey was to set parameters for assessing the competitiveness of every state.

Mordi noted that the parameters had pillars and sub-pillars around macroeconomics, human capital, infrastructure, trade and around factors like settlement and enforcement, which cut across the states, including the Federal Capital Territory.

He stated, “We did one of the largest surveys you are going to see in this part of the world. We had 8,000- plus households, over 2,000 business surveys, and we had a response rate of 91 per cent.

“The ultimate goal is all about poverty reduction and we feel that competitiveness will drive job creation and inclusive growth, which reduces poverty. This is a more viable part than all revenues or standard government development plans.”

The Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Proshare Nigeria Limited, Olufemi Awoyemi, said prior to the discovery of crude oil, the regions were doing better and competing on the basis of resource utilisation.

“Nigeria lost a great opportunity when the oil prices dipped, but it now needs a clear economic ideology to anchor development from,” he stated.

He called for more investments in human capital development by the states, which he said was pivotal to the productivity of the nation.

The Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, BudgIT, Seun Onigbinde, said competitiveness had not been given top priority at the state level.

“The electoral cycle in the country has its effects on the policy framework of states, which has been more of short-term in the level of planning,” he said.

Onigbinde added that some of the challenges included poor fiscal management and lack of incentives to development.

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All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.